Growing up in the cities, I wasn't exposed much to the Minnesota outdoors. It wasn't until I came to Morris, Minnesota where I met many outdoor enthusiasts! The associate pastor of my local church even came up with an apostolic ministry called, Outfitters for Adventure, that plants churches through relationshop building!

Do you need your roof shovel? It should get done before your roof collapses when the weight of snow increases, roof starts leaking inside your house (sometimes caused by ice dams, and/or your ventilation pipe might be covered with snow/ice...

Post Winter Storm (Dec. 16th 10') Roof Shoveling

"It's very important to watch the level of snow on your roof after frequent large amount of snow. Especially what we have been having here in Minnesota this Fall-Winter (officially starts December 21st) so far. I'm demonstrating roof shoveling in my 1-story house rambler as I'm on top of a ladder after 8" + of snow today (Thursday, December 16th 2010).
Another tip I've heard is leaving some snow on the roof to serve as insulation during the long frigid cold winter months.
Need your roof shovel? If your in-town (Morris, MN). Feel free to contact me at..

"These pictures above were taken from February 7th-8th of 2010 during a 2+day Winter Storm

Contact me (Sal) to schedule an appointment about a "possible" (certain roofs can be shoveled with my long "Avalanche" rake shovel) roof shovel project.

"HOPKINS, Minn. -- Heavy snow and ice caused the Metrodome's roof to collapse just more than two weeks ago. Now, it's creating ice dams, which can cause serious damage to homes and give homeowners headaches.
The Ice Dam Company out of Hopkins simply cannot keep up with demand. They are booked as solid as the ice that currently is frozen on several metro area homes.
"All of my calls today, they are saying 'this is an emergency. I need it done today, my house is leaking," said Nikki Wakal with the Ice Dam Company.
The ice dams didn't necessarily sneak up on anybody. You can find them everywhere, but it's the leaking which has forced people to call in.
With Wednesday's temperature in the 30s, it's doing enough melting to kick-start what appears to be quite a year for snow and ice removal services.
And at 300 bucks per 10 feet of ice, it's going to cost you if you want a professional to take care of it safely, rather than risk getting up on the roof yourself.
"It hurts to spend the money before you have water coming into your ceiling, I know that I totally get that, when at the same time you have to wait a number of days which some people do now to stop that leaking it's pretty heartbreaking," said Steve Kuhl with the Ice Dam Company.
Heartbreaking too, that you can't just do the job yourself. Experts say if you do not have the appropriate equipment, you can do more harm than good.
Climbing on top of a roof with two feet of snow on top of it can not only damage the roof, but you could injure yourself. People have died while attempting to clear roofs on their own.
The experts have all of the harnesses and equipment to do the job safely.
"It's a question of risk versus reward and frankly I think that often times it would be better to spend a few hundred dollars to risk your body and we have had clients fall and hurt themselves and it's a real serious thing," Kuhl said.
Ice dam removal businesses have had so many calls, they'll be working through the holidays to try to keep up with demand.
(Copyright 2010 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.) "Homeowners Beware: Ice Dams Could Cost You
December 23, 2010 9:02 PM minnesota.cbslocal.com"The problem is called ice dams, which form at the edge of roofs when the snow melts and refreezes. It is a type of problem homeowners want to address right away. If they don’t, they could be looking at some expensive home repairs.
WCCO-TV employee Sonya Goins experienced the problem firsthand when melting snow and ice seeped into her kitchen. She will have to pay to fix the damage as well as pay to get rid of the source of the problem, the ice.
So, preparing this year’s Christmas meal will be a bit of a challenge for Sonya Goins.....
his people are melting ice on 30 homes a day.
It’s a service that can be a little pricey — typically hundreds of dollars.
"I’m looking at like $300,” said Goins. “Plus, I have to paint now and sand the wall down, so it’s adding up.”
Savings can be found if homeowners are willing to add their roof to the list of areas to shovel.
There are a few items that could help control those ice dams so homeowners don’t have to call a professional.
"Heated Roof Coils," which cost $40 to $50, go up on the roof and melt the ice.
Also, "Roof Melt Pellets," which cost $23, are small salt pucks that can be thrown on the roof.
Both are much cheaper than the alternative."

DANGERS:Former Girls Hockey Coach Dead After Falling Through Roof While Removing Snow , Updated: 02/01/2011 4:08 PM KSAX.com"..With the heavy snowfall received this year, Sheriff Wetzel said that at least one barn roof has collapsed from the weight of the snow, and many people have climbed onto their roofs to remove snow. Sheriff Wetzel urges people to exercise extreme caution when atop their roofs removing snow...